His Best Thief
by IltaCorliss
Summary: AU where Alucard and Lila fall in love during Lila's time on the Night Spire.
1. Chapter 1

The sea was a place people went to escape. Some came to escape the law, some to escape their families, some their poverty, some their land, but all shared the same longing for freedom. Alucard Emery had not wanted to escape. Not until he was already gone. The sea held no pedestal in his mind as it did for many men who sought the sea. In fact, Alucard had rarely thought of the sea before he found himself on it, shackled and nursing what felt like the world's worst headache. But now he captained his own smart vessel, a fine little ship if he did say so himself, with a hand-picked crew. Even his thief was hand-picked. Though perhaps with a little less care, thought Alucard as he prepared to make harbor, since he was rather blatantly stealing from him. The nerve of some people.

As was tradition, the entire crew of the _Night Spire _met at the same run down tavern in London. The drinks weren't bad, admitted Alucard, but what was better was the lack of nobles or people who might recognize him. It wasn't so bad now that his father was dead, but he didn't want his family to come looking for him before he was ready.

Delilah Bard thought she was slick. She was confident that she was being subtle in her investigation of the docks. It had been two weeks since she and Kell had defeated Athos and Astrid in White London. Two weeks since she had started wandering the docks in search of a boat. She had come to this tavern for two purposes, to find something to drink, and scout a captain to kill and replace.

Half-way through the night, Lila had watched the crew of the _Night Spire_ walk into the tavern. Her eyes had immediately been drawn to the eccentric captain in a stark white shirt and large feathered hat. Men who dressed like that rarely held themselves with the easy, genuine confidence that this man did. It struck her, of course it did. Not even Kell with all his power looked as confident as this man. That was when she decided. She would kill him.

Alucard Emery saw the girl watching them from the moment they entered the tavern. She was a scrawny little thing, hardly worth worrying about. Yet her eyes wouldn't leave his crew. She was hungry. Hungry for more than food. Curious, he let her watch and subtly watched her in return. It was for this reason that he stayed sober that night. He had had plans of getting wildly drunk with his crew and boarding the _Night Spire_ with wobbly legs, but a lighter heart. But there was another game to played tonight. So he played the part of the enigmatic captain, pretending to get drunk (succeeding in no small part because he wasn't as good at refusing drinks as he thought he would be).

As the moonlight waned so did the crew of the _Night Spire_, a few of them fainting outright. The captain rose, swayed a little, and braced himself on a chair. He made an order or perhaps announcement in Arnesian. He was met with a laughing response. Lila couldn't understand them, but she didn't have to. They were leaving. Perfect. The crew gathered their unconscious companions and left the ramshackle tavern.

Lila covered looked away as they passed her. When she did, she noticed a man had been left behind in the booth they had been sitting in. She recognized him as a member of the _Night Spire_'s crew. Looking around, Lila saw that the rest of the tavern was busy with their own affairs. They didn't notice when she carefully dragged the unconscious man outside and gutted him in the alley.

Alucard heard a thump on the ship's deck and went to investigate. When he reached the deck, he saw his thief lying dead at the feet of the young girl from the tavern. He raised his eyebrows, "_kers la?"_ he asked.

The men around Lila all began to talk at once, telling the captain how they found Lila slinking around the docks near the _Night Spire_, how she'd been found with Berthold's dead body and a knife that matched the wound. During all this, Alucard stared at Lila who just stared back at him, unwavering. He silenced the crew. Annoyed, he began to talk to Lila, asking her why she had killed this man and what she wanted with their ship. He also scolded and warned her about their crew and told her the men would demand justice for their fallen comrade. Eventually he realized she couldn't understand him and trailed off. He tried another language. And another. And more until he'd reached the limit of his knowledge. Finally he sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. Very slowly he said "You…" pointing to her, "killed…" dragging a finger across his throat, "my…" pointing to himself, "best thief."

She was quiet for a moment and a hungry gleam shone in her eyes. Looking up at him undaunted, she replied. "No. I am your best thief."

Alucard almost laughed. The gaw of this woman….? Girl? How old was she?

The crew nearly rioted. Alucard saw the flash of a blade in the girl's hand just as the man behind her kicked her forward. Alucard caught her before she hit the deck. His hand held her wrists firmly, pressing his thumb into her right wrist, causing her to drop the knife. He held her like that for a moment. Their faces were only inches apart, both wearing such different expressions. Lila's pained and Alucard's intense and searching.

"Best thief?" he asked. "Sure." And he let her go. She stumbled to the deck. He pointed to himself once more. "Captain Alucard Emery." He said, drawing out the syllables. He gave her a questioning look.

"Bard." She said.

He nodded once and turned to his crew. He gave an order that Lila didn't understand and the men looked less than pleased, but obeyed by disposing of the body. Then he turned to return to his cabin. As he reached the stairs he stopped and looked back. He gave a sharp smile and said "no killing." His eyes met the girl's and Lila thought he may be wishing her good luck, or perhaps telling her the previous order especially to her. With that, he disappeared below deck.


	2. Chapter 2

Alucard Emery possessed the singular magical gift of seeing another person's magic. It appeared to him as a swirling stream of color or smoke surrounding a person. Each person's magic had a different color and texture. Using these elements, he was able to discern the power of a person's magic and what elements they were able to wield. This was how he knew that Deliah Bard was an Antari. Her magic was white and shimmered brightly. Alucard had only ever seen magic like that in one other person - Kell, the Antari prince of Arnes. Yet this girl lived like a street thug. The curiosity of all this was the main factor in his decision to let her stay aboard his ship.

_She may prove a valuable asset_, thought Alucard as he stared up at his cabin ceiling, a glass of sweet white wine in his hand. _Though she'll have to learn some manners first._

A knock sounded on the cabin door.

"Come in." Alucard called, almost lazily.

Stross walked in. "Captain," he began. "That boy-" So the rest of the crew was fooled by the girl's charade? Alucard wasn't surprised.

"Yes?"

Stross' brow was furrowed in concern. "What are you thinking? He killed-"

"Berthold was stealing from us."

Stross went pale and quiet for a moment.

"Don't worry," Alucard said, finally turning to Stross, taking his feet off the table. "I didn't hire the boy. This was just a... happy accident."

"Why are you letting him stay?" Stross' clenched fists rested uneasily at his side. For a moment, Alucard wondered if Stross meant to punch him.

"Why did I hire any of you? Trust isn't given immediately. It's earned over time." Stross didn't seem to understand, but he didn't punch him either. "I'm curious. The boy has... promise."

"He smells of murder."

"So do most street rats." Alucard didn't comment that he already knew Bard was going to try to kill him. Perhaps Stross had a head on his shoulders after all. He stood and placed a hand on Stross' shoulder. "I appreciate your concern for the crew, but I would appreciate more if you would follow my orders."

Stross did understand this. He understood the cold look in his captain's eyes that demanded his respect, his obedience. He let out a loud sigh. "_Anesh_."

"Good man. It's about time someone relieved Lenos of watch."

Stross nodded sullenly and walked out. Alucard grabbed a jacket and followed him on deck. Lila sat hunched by the railing. She was clearly sharpening something, whether it was the knife she had used on Berthold or another one she kept tucked away, Alucard had no idea. He watched her for a moment before she felt his gaze and looked up. Her eyes were sharp. Sharp and defensive, ready to kill or run at a moment's notice. Despite himself, Alucard pitied her. He recognized a sliver of himself in her, a sliver of what he could have been, might have been, if not for the king's kindness.

Lila wondered if the captain was going to walk over to her. She hoped not because it would mean having to talk to him and revealing how little she actually knew of the language. So she shot him a glare, challenged him to come talk to her if he dared. She had a knife at the ready if he had any choice words. Instead of looking angry or annoyed or even frightened, the captain met her gaze, held it for a moment, and then gave the barest hint of a grin before turning away. Lila looked back over the side of the ship. The calm dark ocean stretched out before her, clear yet dangerous, as she had always seen it in her mind. Here was her chance. Deliah Bard was finally getting a ship of her own. _All it took was a trip to another world, _She said to herself with a grin. This was going to be the most splendid adventure. Even if the captain would prove to be a pain in the ass.

Once Bard looked away, Alucard looked up at the stars. Smiling a little to himself he muttered a piece of poetry he had heard long ago, "there are secrets only the stars know, and they share it with the ocean in reflections and storms." A shame he didn't remember where he'd heard it. Perhaps he'd picked it up in the royal library a lifetime ago.

…

Because he knew that his knew best thief was going to try to murder him, Alucard stayed in his office that night. He wasn't at all keen on showing weakness, but he was even less keen on actually falling asleep and dying. So he compromised and stayed in his office, drinking and charting the stars. After a few hours, Esa, Alucard's cat, climbed up onto the table and laid down on his charts. He looked down at her in annoyance.

"We've talked about this, Esa. Not on my papers." She looked up at him lazily and meowed. "What do you want?" He asked, sitting down and petting her head. She began to purr softly. "I know. I know. I should be in bed. Not a great night for it, though." He looked up at the door and then back at the cat. "What do you think of her? You know, you ought to be with her, making sure she doesn't do me in. Anisa did tell you to protect me." Esa yawned and laid her head on the table. He chuckled and laid his arms on the table next to her, yawning as well. "That's fair." He said sleepily and laid his head on his arms. Esa rose and moved closer to his arms, resting her back against his bicep. She purred quietly as he fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Since Lila had chosen to keep her gender a secret, she was made to bunk in the long crowded cabin beneath deck with the other crew. The cabin was dark and warm and smelled intensely of salt water and body odor. Though the floor boards bore a fair amount of stains, Lila had certainly seen dirtier ships. It was quite impressive if she thought about it. The ship itself was moderate size if not a little small, gilded with blue trim and crisp white sails. Almost exactly what she'd envisioned her own ship to look like. The boards were finished with a handsome polish that darkened them and set the blue trim at the center of attention.

Lila was beginning to realize one troubling aspect to taking over the ship - the crew. Not the current crew, they were all rather dense and would easy to get rid of, but rather the thought of finding her own crew to man the vessel once she'd taken over. The current crew would likely mutiny the moment they realized who killed their captain and that would prove to be quite a challenge. Perhaps she ought to wait until they made port before killing the captain and taking the ship. That way she could cast off without the current crew and no one would be the wiser. A nagging feeling told her she would have to be a bit more creative than that.

There were quite a few problems to finding a crew, not least of which being her inaptitude for the language. The most trouble though would be finding a group of people she didn't mind being around. True, she would be in charge of them and that would make things easier, but she would still have to live with them. The thought filled Lila with dread. She had never been keen on the idea of sharing her life with someone, much less several people. Yet she knew she could not man a vessel of this size all on her own. She supposed there may have been a time when the idea didn't make her skin crawl. When her mother was still alive. When her father was still around. Perhaps then she hadn't been quite so adverse to the idea of company. But that was ten years ago, and Delilah Bard was a different person in a different world. She would be just fine without a crew if the need arose.

She found this thought comforting. Not quite comforting enough for her to bear the stench of the cabin however. So she rose slowly from her hammock. The rope stretched and squeaked as she moved. One of the men stirred slightly at the sound and Lila stopped. She waited for the man to settle again before making another attempt at getting up. This time she managed it in one fluid movement. But the floorboards proved to be another beast. They creaked and groaned with every shift of weight. Lila considered making a run for it, but knew that would only look more suspicious. Instead she kept as close to the edge of the room as possible (which proved to be another challenge since the other hammocks were placed against the walls). After a few agonizing moments, she made it to the ladder and climbed above deck.

Lila took in a long breath of the fresh sea air, clearing her lungs and her mind. The air was chill. The view over the ocean stretched for miles, disappearing into mist and a black sky. She walked over to the railing and looked out over the vast expanse for a moment. Something in her shifted and calmed. She was finally free. Almost. A knife slid down her sleeve and into her palm. She gripped it tightly and grinned to herself. Now where exactly did the captain sleep?


End file.
